


Like I haven’t heard that one before

by Mocha_Flavored_Jelly_Beans



Series: Hi, Have you met ME?! [3]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Aster is funny too, Bad Flirting, M/M, Super Store
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 16:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2199387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mocha_Flavored_Jelly_Beans/pseuds/Mocha_Flavored_Jelly_Beans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aster, a disgruntled Super Store worker, decides to tease North at the end of the night in order to entertain himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like I haven’t heard that one before

**Author's Note:**

> Jack is usually the flirtatious one, thought I might try something else.... =]

_Like I haven’t heard that one before_

_-By Mocha Flavored Jelly Beans_

 

Aster _hated_ these people.

These people that had to touch _everything_ , ask questions that could have easily been figured out by them if they had bothered to _think_ at all, and worst of all make stupid jokes that were not _nearly_ as clever as they thought they were.

Consumers, as everyone well knows, have a lot of power because they have options. They don’t have to shop at your store (or any other) and they know it. And they know that _you_ know it, they then take this useful information and use it to be nothing more than gigantic pains in the ass.

It was the understatement of a lifetime to say Aster hated his job at the _Price Smart_ superstore.

It was bright, loud, and _really_ annoying. Also, everything was an alarming shade of yellow that was supposed to be inviting.

He was kind and helpful all day (though he was very sarcastic, which people didn’t always pick up on) while he quietly seethed in the back corner of his mind. Rarely did he find an intelligent ‘visitor’ (just one more way to make costumers feel more entitled) that didn’t ask something stupid, say something stupid, and were generally a good conversationalist.

If _one_ more person asked him where to find something they were standing in front of, Aster was going to lose it!

It had been one hell of a day.

His supervisor, a man with slicked back, black hair and starchy shirts named Mr. Pitchiner, had pulled him off of the sales floor and into his office twice already for being what he called, ‘passive aggressive’ which was, apparently, not fitting with the _Price Smart_ family image. The first time, Aster had answered a phone call at the service desk, and his costumer (he’d only refer to them as visitors when someone was around) had wanted to know whether or not the pain medication they’d picked up was suppose to have a safety seal, because they couldn’t remember if they had removed one. He felt like they should have called the company for this, or checked the internet.

“Ma’am,” Aster had replied as politely as he had been able, “does the package say that it had a seal on it? Usually there’s a warning that says ‘do not consume’ or something to let you know if it has been opened. Do you see one?” Aster heard his own tone and wondered if the caller knew he was losing his patience already.

“I don’t know, I can’t read it.” _Honestly_?

“Then I wonder how you even know it’s medicine you’re holding; maybe it’s candy.” The caller hung up on him.

Aster was being an asshole, but he just didn’t know what was expected of him, if the caller couldn’t read, then how was Aster supposed to help? He also didn’t know that his supervisor was standing behind him the entire time…

The second time, Aster had been stocking the shelves when a costumer asked him for help with coffee pots.

“Sure, mate, though I don’t drink coffee, I’ll try.” Aster did like to attempt to make conversation with his costumers, he actually wasn’t trying to be rude. At first.

“Now,” the costumer started, “Which one of these is better?” He asked and pointed to a _Mr. Coffee_ and a _Black and Decker_ with both index fingers, “They look the same to me.”

They looked the same to Aster, too.

If he hadn’t been in a bad mood he might have answered they way he usually answered; by telling his costumer that the best way to find the difference between products was to look up online reviews and see which one could function the way they wanted. Instead, what Aster told him was, “Sir, they don’t let us play with the stuff here, so I don’t know.” He felt a tad bit bad when the man apologized.

But the thing that bothered him was how these gumbies, the lot of them, didn’t understand the idea behind a super store; they had a little bit of everything, hundreds of products, and their workers were not going to be skilled in every single item. They were _not_ a specialty store and Aster hadn’t been lying when he’d told the man he wasn’t allowed to test the merchandise. He was being grumpy and full of himself, probably because he’d been called in and he wasn’t in the mood for this today.

As Aster walked away from the coffee pots, he heard that smug voice that he absolutely _hated_.

“Edgar…” Aster sighed; he didn’t understand why Justin insisted on calling him by his first name. Everyone called him Aster; it was even on his name badge (though he couldn’t be bothered to wear it anymore).

“Justin.” He answered, careful to keep the irritated inflection out of his voice.

“Maybe the best way to help visitors in our store isn’t to tell them that you don’t know something. Instead, tell them how you can help. Maybe work with them to figure out answers to problems, hmm?” he asked, his words woven with that self-satisfied, overly-friendly attitude that made Aster’s nerves stand on end. He despised Justin, who had no business being near the appliance aisle, because he belonged in grocery, which was his department.

“Thanks Justin. I took the same training seminar you did.” Was Aster’s only answer, because Justin was literally taking quotes from the company’s training videos.

When Aster got called back into the office it was obvious Justin had told the supervisor. _Pain in the ass_.

Aster tried to explain to his boss that he’d only been trying to joke with his costumer and make conversation. He was surprised when he left without being written up.

He couldn’t stand Justin even more than he couldn’t stand the shoppers.

Dustin who liked to bud into conversations (if a costumer in _any_ department was talking to _any_ other employee Justin would cut in to show how good he was at memorizing product locations), announce over the intercom whenever he was taking a break (‘okay _Price Smart_ family, this is Justin from grocery, I’m going on break!) _and_ when he got back like he was so important the store might fall to ruins with him gone, and if someone called him over the walkie-talkies they all had to wear he’d answer, ‘hi this is Justin, I can help you!’ as pleased with himself as he said everything else.

Aster finished stocking the shelves and went to straighten his department (tonight he’d been assigned toys; which he hated, of course). Somewhere in the middle of it he’d picked up a phone call and had been asked if their life vests wouldn’t touch people’s chins when they stood in the water. He tried to tell them nicely that, of course, they would float up because they were designed to.

His attitude was made no better when a white-haired punk teenager with rings in his lip just _had_ to go through the toy section and move everything around. Was this a prank or something? Aster was pretty sure, because of the laughter he’d heard (that he could _swear_ sounded like mischievous, twinkling bells come to life), that the boy had done it on purpose. What a clown.

He’d be glad when the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ wasn’t cool anymore, because he was sick of replacing masks, action figures, and swords.

And don’t get him started on the Barbie Dolls!

Did costumers not realize that when they moved everything around and unfolded all the clothes that the staff would have to stay well into the night to make sure the store looked presentable in the morning? The icing on the cake was when they complained that the store wasn’t clean. Aster wanted to tell them not to touch stuff if they couldn’t put it back, then it would _stay_ clean and they would have nothing to complain about. They were so like children, accept even more infuriating, because they should know better.

Just one more year of this nonsense and he’d have his degree and he could get a real job.

**_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_ **

The second the thought entered his head Aster knew he shouldn’t do it, _shouldn’t say it_ , but he was bored and irritated; it had been a long day and he was tired of these people, who were still in the store after the closing announcement had been made. Seeing people linger after the announcement always made his anger rise anew.

_Attention Price Smart visitors, the time is now nine fifty five and your store will be closing in five minutes. We ask at this time that you make your final selections, and bring them to the front where our cashiers would be happy to check you out. We reopen tomorrow at eight AM for your shopping convenience and, as always, thank you for shopping with us here at Price Smart._

That was the second announcement and you’d think people would start leaving, but no, they were _still_ standing around comparing products like they had all the time in the world.

The best way Aster found to get them to move was to ask if they needed help, pointedly, in a way that really said, _‘why the hell are you still here?’_

There was a big burly man dressed with black pants and a red shirt, complete with a white beard and Aster thought he looked just like Santa.

“May I help you look for something, sir?”

_Get the hell out._

The big man turned around from where he had been walking and looking through aisles, smiling all the while.

 _Oh, nice and jolly_.

He laughed, loud robust, “Only if you can help me find my daughter!” he continued to chuckle.

Oh THAT’S original. It was the second most said joke that he heard working here; Aster would ask if he could help them look for something and they’d name a family member, _hardy har har_. The joke that he got the most was costumers asking if something was free if the tag was missing or it wouldn’t scan, _so_ _witty_.

He knew better than to say anything else rude, because he’d already been talked to twice and if it happened again he was going to be written up, but Aster couldn’t resist.

“Too bad,” Aster told him leering seductively, “You look like such a good _daddy_.”

Aster winked to be thorough, and walked off hearing the man trying to stutter out a reply.

When Aster got called to open up an additional cash register (because the store was closed and people _had_ to stay in there until ten o’clock so now the lines were backed up), Aster figured that if the big Russian was buying anything, he could have a bit more fun. Aster was delighted when he saw him waiting in line, holding the hand off a little girl who was no more than eleven years old (Aster momentarily wondered why she was still out this late). He walked up to him.

“Sir, I’m opening on check-lane twenty, if you want to _come_ with me. I’d be…more than happy to _check you out_.” Aster, emerald eyes smoldering, looked the big man up and down slowly to make sure that the man knew he was being outrageously flirted with.

It wasn’t even that Aster was attracted to him at all, it was that if he hadn’t found a way to entertain himself, he was going to have a nervous breakdown. He was so over work for now, he wanted to go home, but the store was such a mess they would be in there for at least another hour.

He was pleased to hold in his laughter as the man’s eyes widened, his face turning pink. Aster thought about making a joke about that too; about whether the Russian was _getting all hot_. He quickly looked at his daughter, but of course she didn’t understand any of it.

The man followed him over to number twenty, so Aster figured he probably liked the whole thing.

When he had rung up his items and the man had paid, he asked Aster what his name was. Aster, who figured that he was probably about to be hit on (maybe reported), saw one last opportunity for his night’s entertainment.

“What do you want it be?” Aster asked him and watched as the man’s eyes traveled down to his lips as he licked them suggestively.

**Author's Note:**

> I totally promise I love working in costumer service, but those two phone calls are based off of real occurrences  
> and there is a man in grocery who is so self satisfied I hate the air he breathes xD 
> 
> .. As Promised not BlackIce...let me know what you thought? :)


End file.
